Taliban planning to attack Parliament House, warns Pak intelligence

May 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Lahore, May 19 (ANI): Pakistan’s intelligence agencies have warned that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is planning to target Parliament House and other important government installations.

According to intelligence inputs, the TTP has recruited a suicide bomber named Amer Aaqa Hadifa, who is in his 20’s, to strike at important buildings.

The intelligence report said that Hadifa was last seen in the Mir Ali region of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), The Daily Times reports

Following the report, all the concerned agencies have been directed to beef up security in and around Parliament and all other government buildings in Islamabad and across the country.

Security agencies have also been asked to keep a tight vigil on all entry and exit points of the capital city and also in Lahore. (ANI)

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Maoists call for 48 hour shutdown in five states begins

May 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 18 (ANI): The government asked five states to tighten security and take maximum precaution during the 48-hour shutdown called by the Maoists beginning Tuesday.

The shutdown call has been given in Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh to protest against Union Government”s decision to disinvest in some Public Sector Undertakings (PSU).

Railways have also been advised to run the trains in Maoist-affected areas in minimum speed to avoid possible sabotage by the Maoists.

Additional security has also been provided to central government installations in Maoist-affected states.

The Centre designed disinvestments of PSUs to provide more employment to people of the region and for economic development of the area.

The Maoists fear that the Centre”s decision would give a blow to their hold in remote areas. This prompted the Maoists to mobilize people against the Centre”s decision.

Earlier, Maoist leader Koteshwar Rao informed some mediapersons that his organization would observe a shutdown on May 18 and May 19 in the five states to protest against the Centre”s decision to sell 10 percent stake in 10 different profit-making PSUs.

The Maoists also said that they were against dilution of government stake in state-owned banks to favour entry of international banks like Morgan Stanley, Citi Bank and Deutsche Bank. (ANI)

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Islamabad police nabs security official turned suicide bomber

March 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Mar.23 (ANI): Pakistani police officials have reportedly nabbed two suspected suicide bombers here and also recovered a suicide jacket from their possession.

Confirming the report, acting Inspector General of Islamabad Police, Bani Amin, told reporters here that the suspects Noor Jehan and Rehmat Gul worked for the Qari Hussain Group based in the Orakzai Agency.

Amin said that Jehan was a former Frontier Constabulary (FC) constable, who was kidnapped by militants in 2007, and was released 25 days later after being brainwashed.

After Jehan was released he once again joined his service but ran away with his uniform a few days later. The FC uniform was used by Jehan and his other associates to transport explosives to Islamabad, he informed.

Jehan was also involved in the bombing of the World Food Programme (WFP) building in Islamabad in 2009, The Dawn reports.

According to sources, during investigations, Jehan and his other accomplice revealed that were planning to target some strategic locations in Islamabad, which included the Serena Hotel, District Courts, French Club, Police 15 office and other important government installations.

They were also chalking out plans to kidnap the Jordanian Ambassador. (ANI)

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Islamabad police nabs security official turned suicide bomber

March 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Mar.23 (ANI): Pakistani police officials have reportedly nabbed two suspected suicide bombers here and also recovered a suicide jacket from their possession.

Confirming the report, acting Inspector General of Islamabad Police, Bani Amin, told reporters here that the suspects Noor Jehan and Rehmat Gul worked for the Qari Hussain Group based in the Orakzai Agency.

Amin said that Jehan was a former Frontier Constabulary (FC) constable, who was kidnapped by militants in 2007, and was released 25 days later after being brainwashed.

After Jehan was released he once again joined his service but ran away with his uniform a few days later. The FC uniform was used by Jehan and his other associates to transport explosives to Islamabad, he informed.

Jehan was also involved in the bombing of the World Food Programme (WFP) building in Islamabad in 2009, The Dawn reports.

According to sources, during investigations, Jehan and his other accomplice revealed that were planning to target some strategic locations in Islamabad, which included the Serena Hotel, District Courts, French Club, Police 15 office and other important government installations.

They were also chalking out plans to kidnap the Jordanian Ambassador. (ANI)

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Pak Army rules out offensive in North Waziristan

July 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Peshawar, July 2 (ANI): The Pakistan Army has ruled out any possibility of a military offensive against the Taliban in North Waziristan.

The Army has said it would honour the peace deal inked with local tribes in the region despite a sudden increase in attacks on security forces.

Dispelling fears about a probable attack, the military air-dropped pamphlets in Pashto and Urdu to assure tribesmen that the Army has no intention of initiating military action in the region.

The pamphlets mentioned that ‘some miscreants were trying to destroy peace and damage ties between the government and Utmanzai Wazir tribes.’

The people were relieved to know that the military is not planning any action in the region, The News reports.

“The leaflets and assurance by the government not to launch any operation restored signs of life to the region,” said a resident of Miramshah, Muhammad Kaleem.

Referring to the recent attacks on security forces in the region, the pamphlet said some disgruntled elements could not tolerate development work in the underdeveloped tribal region, and therefore, have started terrorist attacks on government installations and security forces. (ANI)

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Security of govt buildings in Delhi to be upgraded

April 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Apr 19 (PTI) As part of its efforts to tighten security in government installations, the Centre has decided to upgrade security of several buildings, which house key ministries. New sentry posts at entry and exit points will be erected, while existing posts will be reinforced and additional Quick Reaction Teams will be deployed in the vicinity of these high value premises under the new security plan, a senior government official said.

Currently, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) guards all the government buildings ranging from the South and North Blocks which house the PMO, key ministries like Defence, Home, Finance to other buildings like Nirman Bhavan and Shastri Bhavan. The force guards as many as 52 such installations in the national capital under the Government Building Security (GBS) wing for access control, security check and emergency control with the help of QRTs stationed nearby in case of emergencies.

The Central Public Works Department provides the security men with the infrastructure. Under the new plan, equipment for fire safety and disaster mitigation will also be placed at the disposal of the security personnel, the official said.

PTI.

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Maoist rebels attack police in eastern India on eve of elections

April 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

JharkhandNew Delhi – Maoist rebels stepped up attacks in eastern India Wednesday on the eve of general elections, blowing up a bus carrying police and attacking a paramilitary camp, news reports said. A group of Maoists attacked a convoy carrying Central Reserve Police Force personnel on election duty in Jharkhand state’s Latehar district, PTI news agency reported.

Five Maoists and two police officers were killed, police force sources were quoted as saying.

In a separate incident in neighbouring Bihar state, a group of at least 100 Maoists attacked a camp of the paramilitary Border Security Force in Rohtas district.

The camp was set up to oversee security at elections scheduled to be held in the region Thursday.

One trooper was injured in the attack that began before dawn and continued for more than three hours, Rohtas district police chief Vikas Vaibhav was quoted as saying.

The rebels used sophisticated weapons and three rocket launchers against the camp’s 70 border force personnel, Vaibhav said.

He said some rebels were killed and the others fled but gave no guerrilla casualty numbers. Unconfirmed reports said eight rebels had been killed.

Several areas hit by the Maoist rebellion in the eastern states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa as well as the south’s Andhra Pradesh are holding elections as India’s five-phased, month-long elections begin Thursday.

At least 40 of the 124 constituencies going to the hustings are affected by the Maoist insurgency.

The rebels, who have called for an election boycott, have stepped up attacks on police and government installations in the run-up to the elections.

Maoist rebels, who operate in 13 of India’s 29 states, claim they are fighting for the rights of the rural poor and tribal people.

According to independent estimates, more than 600 people – including civilians, police and rebels – were killed in Maoist violence in India in 2008.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the Maoist insurgency as one of the gravest internal security threats facing India.

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15 killed as Maoists seize bauxite mine in eastern India

April 14, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi – Eleven security personnel and four Maoist rebels were killed in a 10-hour gunbattle after the rebels laid siege to India’s largest bauxite mine in the eastern state of Orissa, police said Monday. A group of 100 armed Maoist rebels laid siege to the state-run National Aluminium Company’s bauxite mine at Panchpatmali in Koraput district, some 370 kilometres south-west of Orissa’s capital Bhubaneshwar late Sunday.

At least 80 mine employees, who were about to leave the mine when the rebels attacked, were held hostage, Orissa police chief MM Prahraj was quoted as saying by Times Now television channel.

The Maoists fled after a 10-hour gunbattle that ended in the early hours of Monday and all mine employees were safe, Prahraj said.

The rebels also attacked a nearby camp of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) which looks after security at the mine.

“Eleven CISF personnel and four Maoists were killed,” Prahraj said.

Some arms and ammunition were reportedly looted from the CISF armoury, Times Now reported.

The entire area was booby trapped with landmines, making it difficult for police and paramilitary support forces to reach the area.

Orissa’s Koraput district is due to hold balloting on Thursday in the first phase of India’s general elections.

Maoist rebels have upped their attacks on government installations in the run-up to the elections. (dpa)

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Five Indian policemen killed in gunbattle with Maoist rebels

April 12, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi – Five police were killed and three injured Saturday in an eight-hour-long gunbattle with Maoist rebels in eastern Indian state Jharkhand, about 20 kilometres from where Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi addressed an election rally. Maoist rebels, who operate in 13 of India’s 29 states, have increased attacks on government installations in the run-up to the general elections which are scheduled to begin Thursday.

“Five CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) personnel were killed and three were injured in an ambush by Maoist rebels in Khuti district,” IANS news agency quoted Jharkhand Police spokesman SN Pradhan as saying.

Police said the gunbattle at Musanga Jorpa jungle, about 70 kilometres south of Jharkhand capital Ranchi, began Saturday morning and ended at around noon a little before Sonia Gandhi addressed a rally in the area,

Paramilitary forces patrolling the area ahead of Gandhi’s arrival came upon a group of Maoist rebels. When asked to surrender, the rebels fired and the gunbattle followed.

Maoist rebels have blown up 11 government buildings in Palamau, Latehar, Garwah, Gumla, Chatra and Bokaro districts of the state over the past week. Their targets have included schools, village-level government offices and pre-school centres.

The string of attacks is aimed at preventing security personnel from staying in these buildings during elections, IANS quoted a police source as saying.

Two-phased parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in Jharkhand on Thursday and April 23.

On Friday, nine CRPF troopers, including an officer, were killed in an attack by another group of about 100 armed Maoist rebels in Bastar district of neighbouring Chhattisgarh state.

Chhattisgarh is also scheduled to go to the hustings on Thursday, the first day of voting in India’s month-long five-phase elections.

Maoist rebels have asked people to boycott the elections.

According to independent estimates, more than 600 people including civilians, police and rebels were killed in Maoist violence in India in 2008.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the Maoist insurgency as one of the gravest internal security threats facing India. (dpa)

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Nine militants enter Punjab to carry out Manawan like attack: Pak intelligence

April 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Apr.4 (ANI): Days after intelligence agencies warned that over a dozen terrorists have entered Islamabad and Lahore in the garb of religious preachers, intelligence sources have now revealed that nine militants have sneaked into Punjab and are planning to carry out attacks similar to the Manawan police training academy strike.

According to The Nation, the group of terrorists also includes two would-be suicide bombers aged 20 and 22 years respectively.

“They have entered the province on a car bearing registration No IHD-598,” sources added.

Earlier, intelligence agencies had warned that 14 trained militants had entered Lahore and Islamabad in the garb of preachers, to carry out terror attacks on government buildings and luxury hotels.

The investigative agencies had also asked the concerned authorities to beef up security in and around all government establishments, luxury hotels and other important public places.

Reports of seven suicide bombers planning to carry out attacks on government installations in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) were also received from officials in Peshawar.

These intelligence reports are particularly important because the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Baitullah Mehsud, while claiming the responsibility for the Manawan attack, had also warned of carrying similar strikes in near future. (ANI)

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Over dozen terrorists in Lahore and Islamabad to carry out attacks: Pak intelligence

April 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Lahore, Apr.2 (ANI): Pakistan intelligence agencies have warned that 14 trained militants have entered Lahore and Islamabad to carry out attacks similar to the Manawan police training academy strike.

According to sources, these terrorists are hiding in the cities in the garb of preachers.

The investigative agencies have also asked the concerned authorities to beef up security in and around all government establishments, luxury hotels and other important public places.

Meanwhile, in Peshawar officials said that they have confirmed reports that seven suicide bombers were planning to carry out attacks on the lines of Manawan on government installations in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

“We have intelligence that seven suicide bombers have been looking for targets which may be in Peshawar or any other district in the province,” The Daily Times quoted senior government officials, as saying.

These intelligence reports are particularly important because the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Baitullah Mehsud, while claiming the responsibility for the Manawan attack, had also warned of carrying similar strikes in near future. (ANI)

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Pak Taliban threatens to intensify attacks on NATO supplies

February 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Peshawar, Feb 6 (ANI): The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has threatened to intensify attacks on government installations and NATO supplies if military operations in the Swat Valley and Federally Administered Tribal Areas are not stopped.

TTP spokesman Maulvi Omar said that their men would launch attacks on government installations if the military operations against the militants continued.

He claimed that a decision to accelerate attacks on NATO supplies had already been taken and now, the TTP militants would use all means to stop supplies to US and other allied troops deployed in Afghanistan.

The News quoted Omar as saying that the Taliban would not allow supplies to reach US and NATO forces and threatened that militants would blow up containers taking food and other items for foreign forces.

The threat particularly related to the military operation in the strategically located Khyber Agency against banned TTP militants.(ANI)

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Pak Taliban asks militants to stop anti-government attacks

January 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Peshawar, Jan 27 (ANI): The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan has asked its militants to stop attacks on Pakistan Government installations, kidnapping for ransom, bank dacoities and car snatching across the country.

A statement purportedly issued by the TTP Chief Baitullah Mehsud said: “All organizers and workers are directed that Mujahideen will not damage government property, commit highway robbery, bank dacoity, kidnap people for ransom or snatch vehicles from today.”

“All such activities would be prohibited. No excuse that an activist had permission from the Ameer (Chief) to carry out such acts would be accepted. From now on, all previous permits meant for attacks on government installations and other activities would stand cancelled,” statement added.

This is the first time that the TTP has released a statement urging its workers to stop anti-government activities, the Dawn reported.

A special force has reportedly been created to put hand on those elements violating these instructions and they would be strictly dealt with and punished for their acts.

Sources said that the statement gave the impression that the TTP was involved in kidnapping of locals and foreign diplomats, hijacking of vehicles and other anti-social activities, which had occurred in the region in the recent past and indirectly accepted its responsibility for such acts.

Public perception is that the Taliban has been involved in such crimes.

In a recent meeting, the NWFP cabinet had observed that elements associated with the militants had started kidnapping traders, professionals and government officials for fund raising.

In the wake of the growing abduction incidents, the provincial government had announced giving sweeping powers to the police force in the province.

Afghan ambassador designate Abdul Khaliq Farahi and Iranian commercial attach‚ based in Peshawar Hashmatullah Attarzaday were kidnapped from Peshawar last year were still missing and official circles did not rule out involvement of the Taliban in the kidnapping of diplomats. (ANI)

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